Means for absorbing ice pressure



Jiune 10, 1952 J, F, FECK 2,600,103

MEANS FOR ABSORBING ICE PRESSURE Filed Feb. 19, 1948 *B Army.

Patented June 10, 1952 UNITED STATES -AT-EN T AC) F Fl-CE y 3 Claims. 1

This invention relates l,to improvements in means for absorbingice .pressure and particularly for vpreventing the cracking.. distorting or breaking of .containers :ha-ving water'orliqnid therein when in,.or 4exposed to,. freezing temperatures.

The invention is illustrated inthe drawings and will be described inconnection with its use in fowl drinking fountains, for example, `infowl drinking fountains operating on athe Abaroxnetric principle. In the .past fowl drinking fountains operating on the barometric principlehavebeen made and used Vin which water `,containers 'of glass, metal and the like are 'employed and which containers are adapted'to be broken or distorted by the pressure of ice :formed from the water therein.

The principall object of 'the-V present invention is, therefore, the provision Vof means .forabscibing the pressure of icewhile forming in `containers or receptacles whether :said containers or receptacles are subject to 'freezing `.terdperatures in nature or in an atmosphere articially or mechanically produced or created.

Another object ofthe Ypresent'invention is the provision of a Vfowl :drinking fountain iwherein use is made of a container `capa-ble of y:being distorted or broken and having associated Atherewith means whereby if ice forms ,in'thewcontainer the walls thereof will not'crack, idistort, or'break.

Another object of "the present invention Ais the provision of the fowl ldrinking fountain that has a Vbase in combina-tion -with `-a container, and wherein said base may be formed-and ,said container has associated vtherewith .means of flexible material whereby 4ice -thatg-forms therein will not distortor breakueither .the `base or container.

A further and specific -object of the present invention Iis the .provision cfa-device 'that may be used as an attachment -to fowl y'drinking fountains as heretooreused and employed Ato safeguard the containers thereof against distortion and vbreakageqby the expanding pressure Aof ice for-ming therein.

Aspecificobject .Tof the present .invention `is the provision of a-icompressibledeyice .adapted to be placed in :the-.water of Vfowl drinking fountains toabsorb theipressure resulting from ice formation Vwithin 'the fountain container.

A still further .object '.fof the `present invention -isutheprovision of il-affowl .drinking'fountain for accomplishing the fforegoing 'objects that is extremely simple in construction and economical to produce.

Other 'objects and-advantages o f the Apresent invention should be readily apparent by Yrefer- .ence to the'fcllowing specificationconsideredin .conjunction with the accompanying drawings forming `a part 'thereof and it is to -`he understood that any modifications may be Amade in the exact structural details Y,there 'shown and described, within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from or exceeding the spirit of the invention.

-In thedrawings: Fig. 1 is a front elevational YView :of a fowl "drinking fountain -embedying ther-principles of the present invention.

Fig. t2 is a topplanfview of theiowl .drin-king fountain of Fig. 1.

Fig. `3 is a verticalcross-sectional View of the Vfowl drinking fountain as Iseen on line 3 3 on Said FLg- '2- vFig. 4 is a vhorizontal cross-sectional view -of the fowl drinking fountain as seen on lined- Li on sa-id Fig. V3.

.Fign isavertical cross-sectional View of Ythe `fowl-drinking fountain takenin` the same plane as IFig. Sand `showing-a modication in the-construction thereof.

Fig. `Bis a vertical lcross-sectional View lof the fowl drinking iountainwsirnilar to Fig. 5 only showing -a nonflexible A-i-r-iaterial Vfor the base member.

Fig. v'7 is a vertical -crossesectional viewrtaken centrally of an expansion or compression inember Yshowing a further modification in construction thereof.

:Fig 8 is-favertical-.cross-sectional -view lof a 'container lhaving associated therewith the ex- .pansion -or compression member of the present invention andillustrating amodiication in the :invention Throughout the -sevenal-views of the drawings similar .reference characters are employed to denote ithegsame or Similar'parts.

Fowldrinking fountains operating "onthe barometric principle are old vbrutfthose heretofore have. made no provision for the freezingnof vthe water inthe container. Upon the freezing 0f said water .and expansion of the resulting Aice itfis oitenfoundthat the walls -of the container memherr-would crack, distort-,or break. `The-.fowl drinking fountain :of the u.present invention Ahas eliminated v,all :Such inherent `drawbacks, .as will presentlyfbe made clear. n

-The-fowl .drinking fountain :pf gthepresent invention consists of .an upper:portion-` or centairier |10. andza lower .portion .or based I. Ihe .container H) .is .of -a construction .similanto any common jar having the body portion of a cylindrical shape as at I2 terminating at one end in a bottom I3. The jar body portion at its other end terminates in a reduced portion or neck I4 of a diameter somewhat smaller than the diameter of the body portion I2. Beyond the neck I4 the container is slightly enlarged as at I5 and has formed on the outer surface thereof threads I6 for attachment to the drinking fountain base I I as is well known. It should be noted that other means may be employed instead of the threads I8 for attaching these parts.

The container Il is shown in Figs. 3, 5 and 6 as constructed of glass but it is to be understood that said -container may also be constructed from metal, crockery or any other material.

The base II of the fowl drinking fountain is provided with a flat body portion I1 the outer edges of which upstands to form a rim as at I8. As shown in the drawings the rim I8 is downturned as at I9 to form a flange, the lower edge of which, along with the body portion I'I, forms the supporting surface for the fountain. Substantially centrally of the base body portion is an upstanding hollow boss internally threaded to receive the external threads II of the container. The outer surface of the central boss 20 and the opposed inner surface of the rim i8 form between them a trough 2I into which the water iiows from the container IU through a discharge opening or hole 22 in the boss wall.

Substantially centrally of the hollow boss 26, the base body portion II has rising therefrom a compression member in the form of a stem or post 23 centrally cored as at 24 to a point just short of the upper end thereof. The base II including the stem or post `23 is preferably formed of deformable or compressible material, such as rubber for a purpose subsequently to be made clear.

The user upon desiring to -use the fowl drinking fountain positions the fountain reversely from that shown in Fig. 3, namely, on the bottom I3 of the jar having previously unscrewed or then unscrews the base II from the container I0 and fills the jar with the desired amount of water. The user then connects the jar and base by screwing the base II home on container I0 with the stem or post 23 in said water and then positions the assembled fountain to its original position, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3.

The positioning of the fowl drinking fountain to its original position causes the water to flow through the hole or discharge opening 22, which is located substantially at a point just below the end jar threads I6 in the hollow boss 20, into the trough 2|. The water will rise in the trough 2I until it reaches a point where it seals off the hole or discharge opening 22, whereupon the water will remain at that level, being automatically replenished from the jar reservoir. This operation is in accordance with the well known barometric Principle.

If the water 25 in the container III were to freeze it would expand as it became ice. This expansion, it has been found, would be absorbed by the stem or post compression member 23 thus preventing the walls or sides of the container ID from cracking, distorting or breaking as would be the case if the compression member 23 were not present, and the Water in the base I I upon freezing and expanding would only flex the material from which the said base is formed. s

The user upon finding the water 25 frozen in the base II, which is formed of a flexible material, such as rubber, only has to Ipeel the base member back from the ice, and remove the said ice in a manner similar to that in removing the ice cubes from an ice forming tray in a mechanical refrigerator. The stem or post 23 is readily removed from the ice in the container Ii) upon slight manipulation thereby leaving a hole in the ice whereby the said ice in the container is easily removed therefrom. By this construction the container is not only prevented from destruction but is readily returned to use again.

The modification of the invention shown in Fig. 5 is very similar to that shown in Fig. 3 except that the compression member, stem or post 26, is formed separately from the base instead of integral therewith. In this modification the base member I I consists of a body portion I'I, a hollow upstanding boss 20, a iiange or rim I8 and a trough 2|'. The body member Il' has centrally of the hollow boss 20 a substantially smooth fiat surface 2l upon which is placed a removable compression member also in the form of a compressible stem or post 26. This stem or post 2S has an enlarged lower portion or annular supporting iiange 29 extending outwardly of the stem or post 26. The said lower portion or ange 29 is yieldable and has its undersurface concaved as at 3I to form what is commonly called a suction cup and the annular edge portion 29a of said flange is in tight contactl with the flat bottom of the base member, whereby the said compression member 26 and the base bottom portion II' are operatively and removably associated with one another to absorb pressure of ice formation.

It will be understood that the modication in the construction of the compressible member 28 of Fig. 5 in no way prevents the said compression member including its integral yieldable annular ange 29, from absorbing the expansion caused by the forming of ice in the container I0.

The construction of the fowl drinking fountain illustrated in Fig. 6 is similar to the construction of Fig. 5 with the exception that the base member I I is made from a material that is not necessarily flexible but may have associated therewith the compressible member of Fig. 5 to protect the container thereof.

Itis to be understood that this change of material, in the base member II of the fowl drinking fountain, from a exible to a non-iiexible material only necessitates the use of a material for the base member having strength enough to withstand the pressure exerted upon it by the ice formed therein. In no other way does it effect the operation of the present invention.

The invention has been heretofore described in connection with a fowl drinking fountain but it is not limited to this specific use or environment. The modification of the invention disclosed in Fig. 8 illustrates an open top container or receptacle 36 having a bottom 31 and upstanding walls 38 centrally of which is the compressible member, stem or post 26. The said stem or post 26 is provided at its lower end with a bottom or annular ange 29 which has its undersurface concaved at 3I similar in all respects to the compressible member, stem or post 26, illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6. The container 36 may be formed of any desirable material which would be subject to cracking, distortion or breakage due to pressure caused by the expanding water when turning to ice and upon subsequent further freezing.

The modification of Fig. 7 shows another type of compression member 32. This compression member 32 is similar to the compression member 26 of Fig. 5, having a lower portion or annular ange 33 concaved on its undersurface to form a suction cup 34. Rising from the suction cup 34 is the stem or post 35 which is solid instead of being centrally cored as illustrated in Figs. 3, 5, 6 and 8.

The solid stem or post 35 of Fig. 7 is made particularly possible since this form is made of a soft or sponge rubber having, as is well understood, considerably more compressibility than the more solid form of rubber. To increase the compressibility of the more solid form of rubber is the reason for providing the hollow or air core in the forms illustrated in Figs. 3, 5, 6 and 8.

It is to be understood that the solid compres- Y sion member 32 may be inserted in the place of compression member 26 in the constructions of Figs. 5 and 6 and will in no way alter the operation of absorbing the expansion of the water 25 while it is freezing or turning to ice in the fowl drinking fountain.

In view of the foregoing it is now believed evident that there has been provided a fowl drinking fountain containing means for absorbing the expansion of the ice formed therein that overcomes the objections to prior structures and accomplishes the objects initially set forth.

What is claimed is:

l. A poultry drinking fountain of the barometric type, comprising a dish-shaped base having two liquid retaining areas separated by an annular boss extending upwardly from said base and formed with a discharge opening therethrough communicating with the liquid retaining areas of said base, an inverted container having a closed end and an open end in tting relationship with said boss whereby liquid in said inverted container may flow into the liquid retaining areas of said base, and a post of deformable material extending from said base through the open end of said container in spaced relation to the inner wall surface thereof, said post extending substantially the entire depth of said container whereby said post will absorb pressure of ice formation in said container regardless of the level of liquid therein.

2. A poultry drinking fountain of the barometric type, comprising a dish-shaped base composed of elastic, rubber-like form-retaining ma- 6 terial, said base having two liquid retaining areas separated by an integral boss extending upwardly from said base and formed with a discharge opening therethrough communicating with the liquid retaining areas of said base, an inverted container having a closed end and an open end in fitting relationship with said boss whereby liquid in said inverted container may flow into the liquid retaining areas of said base, and a deformable hollow post integral with said base and extending from said base through the open end of said container in spaced relation to the inner wall surface thereof, said post extending substantially the entire depth of said container whereby said post will absorb pressure of ice formation in said container regardless of the level of liquid therein.

3. An animal drinking fountain comprising a container having a substantially flat bottom and an annular wall upstanding therefrom, a substantially vertical compression member centrally disposed in said container, said compression member having an annular flange at its lower end and said flange having a concaved lower surface, said flange terminating in an annular edge portion resting on said flat bottom adjacent the junction of said bottom and said wall and forming a water-tight contact with said bottom, whereby pressure of ice formation in said container is absorbed by said compression member and by yielding of said concaved annular flange thereof.

JOHN FRANZ FECK.

REFERENCE S CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 596,062 Firey Dec. 28, 1897 645,680 Chapman Mar. 20, 1900 1,114,638 Nordquist Oct. 20, 1914 1,180,285 Derr Apr. 25, 1916 1,490,757 Baruth Apr. 15, 1924 1,652,488 Lundblad Dec. 13, 1927 1,690,072 Johnson Oct. 20, 1928 1,801,932 Miller Apr. 21, 1931 2,119,691 Vanderbilt June 7, 1938 2,273,505 Florian Feb. 17, 1942 2,331,097 Watter Oct. 5, 1943 

